This film promoted the City of Detroit's bid to host the 1968 Olympics. After winning the approval of the U.S. Olympic Committee, it was widely believed that Detroit would win the Games.
A last-minute backroom deal involving the Communist bloc countries thwarted that bid and gave the Games to Mexico City. In hindsight, it's probably a good thing Detroit didn't win. That 125,000 seat stadium would be a white elephant today---can you imagine that many people going to see a LIons game? Worse, it's hard to conceive that a city reeling from the 1967 riots could have successfully pulled off the Games. Indeed, a few months before the 1968 Olympics, student demonstrations in Mexico City were brutally put down by the army and hundreds lost their lives, casting a pall over Games.
Notwithstanding the mayor's and governor's assurances, it's hard to believe the Games would have been anything other than a financial black hole, especially considering the city's decline
which accelerated not long after this film was made. In 1968 the Tigers won the World Series---something that most Michiganders probably valued more highly than the Games anyway!

Wow. I bet Jerry Cavanaugh was crossing his fingers a lot behind his back as he made all those promises, but who could blame him? Anyway, this is a fascinating film for longtime Detroiters. It doesn't give a very balanced view of the city as it was though certainly it was way ahead of where it would fall within the next 15-20 years. After Jerry Cavanaugh, things started to go to pot. Of course Mayor Archer started the ball rolling again in the 90's but the Kwame Kilpatricks of the world kinda stopped that. Anyway it's nice to see what could have been in an optimistic time.

A really nice companion piece to Detroit: City on The Move except this time, the film was made for the US Olympic committee, who were having second thoughts of supporting the big when rumors of Detroit's financial problems began swirling. The Mayor and the Governor come out to make speeches (The Governor's is quite spirited!). Some great promises are made here about Olympic sites that of course were never built. I like this one better then the other film. Highly reccomended!